BUBLE

17.12.12

LUSH Gorilla Fragrance pop-up shop

The story continues following my trip to the LUSH pop-up shop in East London. The exhibition may only be open for the next week, but the shop out front is open all the way into the summer. Situated off the main road, it feels like it's slightly hidden away for a reason - because when you walk in you feel like you've discovered a treasure trove. This really is heaven for any fragrance lover, as the walls, shelves, cupboards and displays are bursting at the seams with bottles of scent. The new collection from Gorilla Perfumes is slightly different from the first, in that the packaging is much more authentic to the original apothecaries that undoubtedly inspired it. I adore the little bottles, pipettes and miss-matched lids that hold in the scents - it feels like you're really discovering something unique and lovingly made. The new fragrances include The Voice of Reason (inspired by basement clubs and claustrophobic coffee shops, with the strong aroma of French Gitane cigarettes, espresso and sandalwood) which is one of my favourites for evoking memories of my grandfather, The Bug (inspired by the paranoia of the modern age - a disjointed scent for our times using such unique fragrances as galbanum and black pepper) which sits on the skin in such a way that you're not quite sure if you love it or hate it, Sun (inspired by a vision of big orange sun on a lollipop stick, so unsuprisingly it contains orange, tangerine and sandalwood) which makes me feel warm, comforted and ready for warmer times, and Devil's Nightcap (to capture the magic of stone circles and folklore, oak moss, clary sage and ylang ylang were used) which evokes childhood memories of sitting in the country and breathing in the fresh air. All of the scents are unique and really stir memories and associations because the ingredients are so fresh and 'homemade'. You could spend hours sniffing all of these new concoctions and deciding which one you love the most (although it's pretty hard to decide!) and this pop-up shop is the perfect way to do it.

The LUSH pop-up shop is located at 1-3 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3DT. The nearest tube is Old Street and it's a 5min walk. It will be open until Summer 2013.